I ask students this question as they build their professional portfolios:
What is your philosophy of work?
And I don’t mean how you work. I mean why you work. Imagine if someone asked you this in an interview setting. I’m interested in what motivates you in life. I’m interested in what sustains a persevering work ethic for a lifetime. I meet too many talented students who simply don’t do the work. They don’t value work. They value leisure. So we talk about work, and we try to figure out what work is.
Consider: What do you enjoy about work? Can work be leisurely? Is leisure satisfying the same way work satisfies? What makes you avoid work? If life only involved leisure, what would you miss about work?
I love work. I love creating order out of chaos. I find great meaning in serving others and blessing them through work. It’s a means of worship. It connects me to a purpose beyond myself.